Miracle at St. Anna Trailer: Another Side of WWII
June 15th, 2008 in Directors, Movies, Trailers, War
While the media have been salivating for the next instalment of the war of words between Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood, many have ignored the context in which it started: the lack of depictions of African-American soldiers in WWII. And Spike Lee is putting his money where his mouth is after directing Miracle at St. Anna, due out in the U.S. on September 26.
The film, based on a novel by James McBride, deals with the 92nd Infantry Division, who were mostly African-American. The plot seems to centre around them being trapped behind enemy lines in Italy, while also referencing the Sant Anna di Stazzema massacre, in which the retreating SS killed 500 or so Italian villagers.
The film looks like Lee’s most ambitious to date. Sure, he recreated the times of Malcolm X, but it feels odd to see a Lee film involve artillary, bombings, and Nazi symbols. The film seems to include a storyline involving a precious sculpture, that is framed by a 1983 murder. There is a similarity between this and Lee’s Inside Man, which was a thriller with a mild historical subtext. However, if Lee is intending to make a similar film, he may risk, like Inside Man, focussing too much on the thrills and less on the chaos and tragedy of war. And while Lee’s intent on representing another side of WWII that most are unfamilar with, unless Lee’s fully explores that particular facet, he may also risk returning to the usual themes of war that have been exhausted already. Nevertheless, Miracle at St. Anna, with Lee’s particular brand of snapshot film-making, looks enticing.
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June 15th, 2008 at 10:57 am
You’ve seen the trailer, but I’ve read the book, and it is not that good. The characters are stereotypical and the historical errors ridiculous. The event depicted took place on August 12, 1944, when troops from the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division killed 560 people in the village of San’Anna di Stazzema. No US soldiers, let alone African-Americans, were involved. One villager said: “It’s a flase reconstruction that does not take account of the historical reality,” adding “This sort of fiction should be banned, otherwise the damage to the memory and historical truth will be very serious.” I don’t believe in banning anythind, and plan to see this movie. That said, I think Spike Lee should get his own glass house in order before throwing stones at Clint Eastwood.
June 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Thanks for the comment Gothicliner, it’s a very valuable one.
But, we must accept that almost no American WWII film is accurate.
Does the novel claim to be historically accurate, or does it just use a real event to springboard a story? Either way, I think you’re right about the irony of Lee’s words, though I’m more interested in whether the film can offer a new perspective and truly represent the African American experience in WWII, as opposed to being a thriller.
June 16th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I heard an interview with James McBride, author of the novel and screenplay. He says the story is more about Italians, and how their faith helped them survive and recover from the war. The African-American characters serve as a vehicle for this. The story is pretty much a fantasy loosely based on some historical events. While I think the writer’s ideas had merit, the book awkwardly written. In any case, folks who get excited by the trailer need to realize that they are seeing just about all the action there is to see.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I’ve read both the book and the screenplay. I think the book was excellent for what it is. It is not a “war novel.” WW II is the setting for the story about human beings struggle to do right (and sometimes fail!) in unjust and inhumane circumstances, whether its African Americans soldiers drawn into a “just war” for freedom when they are second class, oppressed citizens in the USA,the Italians who are dealing with German butchery from without and divisions and chaos from within (Partisan vs. Fascist), and Germans who wrestle with their conscious as they are called upon to follow orders which contradict their religious and moral bearings. God and the Christian religion are what all of the players in this drama actually wrestle with as they navigate this treacherous moral landscape of wartime Italy (and American,for one scene). There are no innocents here. And the potential for acts of gooness or evil transcend which side one is on. This novel tries to humanize war and how it affects all.
The screeplay, which McBride wrote under the tutelage of Spike Lee, enhances the ironic aspects of these conflicts, esp. highlighting the Partisan vs. Fascist conflict and the German perspectives (to mirror those of the Buffalo soldiers).This is tailor made for Spike Lee,who likes to deal with situations which spotlight moral ambivalence and ambiguity and require moral courage from those involved to “do the right thing”. One of the things which may make this “war movie” unique is that it is from a Christian pacifist perspective, written by an African American.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Good points, Wolfman. Sadly, McBride got so involved in telling his story that he mangled the historical details. Lieutenant John Fox won the medal of honor for the heroic role he, men of the 92nd Division, and Italian partisans played in fighting against overwhelming odds in December 1944. Fact IS sometimes more interesting than fiction. Maybe Clint Eastwood can make a film about Fox …..
October 1st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I certainly don’t want to get into an argument about the veracity of Spike Lee’s film or James McBride’s excellent book, but would just like to note that my novel, “The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany,” also describes the massacre at Sant’Ann. I’m pleased that his horrific event is finally getting the attention it deserves.